"This Side of Heaven"

"Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been their welfare, let it become a trap." (Psalms 69:22) You do understand that things are not going to get much better, right? I mean, we can pray for some kind of real peace to somehow show up, but as soon as it does, watch out. Having been raised in a country like this, we sometimes don't really get the full impact of what war is really like; nor do we fully understand how it feels to really take cover. I remember as a kid, we had these drills in school where the alarm would sound and we would all hide under our desk; as if that piece of junk desk would actually make a difference in the event of a ballistic missile attack. Not that it really matters, but I think most of it was staged to help keep us in line; there was a lot of strange things going on back in the 60's, and mind control was only the tip of it. By the end of the 60's there was something that many people were looking towards, be it free or man-made, it was all about love and peace. Those were some pretty interesting times; if you were living in California, you could almost have peace and war both showing up in the same city. I don't know how you remember it, but I seem to recall some pretty scary news reports about riots, most of which were happening just on the other side of town, and it did not even seem possible. To the point of what this verse might be putting out there, based upon the previous verse, it would seem to speak about taking something of a living and making it become a snare and a trap. I think a really good illustration of this might be Lot, as he looked towards Sodom when he had a choice of which direction he would go. But if you were looking for something a little more subtle, then you could look towards religion; which is man's way of making himself feel right with God. There is really nothing there but smoke and mirrors! It's almost like hiding under that desk; it might feel as though there is something being done to help you feel safe, as long as something never really happens... "You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say "Yes" when they really mean "No"? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between "Yes" and "No." For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waiver between "Yes" and "No." He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God's ultimate "Yes," He always does what He says. For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" (which means "Yes") ascends to God for His glory." (2 Corinthians 1:17-20) NLT